Behavior Counseling

Our pets have become increasingly regarded as members of the family at the same time that our lifestyles have changed to include more 2-career families; therefore, pets spend more time indoors and more time alone, receiving less exercise and attention than previously when one family member was available to supervise and interact with them. The result has been an increase in negative behaviors on the part of our cats and dogs. In fact, whereas the animal shelters across the country used to struggle to find spaces for the young cats and dogs resulting from overpopulation, nowadays they find that their cages are full of older, healthy animals who have been relinquished by once-doting owners due to negative behavior traits that developed over time. For that reason, the number of veterinarians specializing in behavior has increased exponentially. We recognize that negative behaviors—incessant barking, house soiling, separation anxiety, and aggression for dogs; destroying furniture and avoiding the litter box for cats,–can rupture the human-animal bond and lead quickly to frustration and finally to anger, and perhaps to the ultimate sad fate of relinquishment. We do not want to see this happen to our patients! Therefore, our wellness examinations include inquiries into your pet’s behavior in order to determine if there are any developing problems, with the aim to eliminate the causes and find remedies as early as possible before negative behaviors become entrenched. We stress the use of positive training philosophies rather than the use of punishment. We find that if we are notified of these problems early, we can help the frustrated client reduce or eliminate the negative behaviors. If there is an issue that, by its nature, requires more aggressive remediation, we have a list of experienced trainers as well as access by referral to veterinary behaviorists and to Cornell Veterinary School’s Animal Behavior Clinic for the more challenging cases. In addition to this, Tufts Veterinary College has a new behavior referral service where you fill out an extensive online questionnaire and we provide them with your pets complete electronic medical records. This less expensive option has been very successful.